Footnotes

Le Square Saint-Pierre depicts a scene in the park at the foot of the Butte Montmartre, painted during the artist's stay in Paris between 1897 and 1900. While best known for his depictions of melancholic gypsies, which were his primary fascination from 1901, Nonell's early work shows a preoccupation with landscape painting, especially the period in Barcelona between 1893 and 1896. While in Paris, he became particularly interested in urban and suburban landscapes. These scenes caught the attention of certain art critics and earned the young Nonell his first recognition as a painter.

During his stay in Paris, Nonell absorbed the work of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. This influence is reflected in some small studies of the French capital and also the present lot, painted with vivid colour and bold treatment of light. Interestingly the same view was painted a few years before by Paul Signac.

Nonell's output in Paris was limited, and he was mostly focused on drawing street scenes. He was especially interested in the people who frequented the parks and gardens of the city, and he made numerous sketches of men and women walking, resting or chatting, nannies, children playing, dressmakers sewing or ladies reading the newspaper which served as preparatory sketches for more ambitious compositions.

In Le Square Saint-Pierre, Nonell combines the immediacy and naturalness of his drawings with added light and colour. The scene, probably painted from life, manages to capture the atmosphere of a sunny day and the peacefulness of the figures as they sit quietly under the shelter of lush vegetation. The present lot is the only example of the period where Nonell explores his sketched subjects in oil paint, which makes this painting a unique and important work.

We are grateful to Señora Glòria Escala for her assistance in cataloguing this lot.

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